Doll&#39;s eyes



y 4, 1957 J. o. WAGNER 2,791,869

DOLLS EYES Filed June 6, 1952 JOHN O.WAGN

INVENT I i v ATTORNEY nited This application is a continuation in part of my copending application, Serial No. 740,295, filed April 9, 1947, for Eye for Dolls, now Letters Patent No. 2,685,760, dated August 10, 1954.

The present invention relates to an eye for dolls or the like, and refers more particularly to a transparent object suitable for insertion in a doll, manikin, or stuffed animal to represent the eye thereof in a realistic and striking manner.

An object of the present invention is to provide an eye for dolls or the like which shall present a striking appearance of depth, and the appearance of which will change as it is viewed from different angles.

Another object is to provide such advantages in an eye which is cheap to manufacture and easy to afiix to the doll or similar body in which it is to be used.

A principal object of the invention is to provide an eye, having the appearance of depth already referred to, which will show white on the far side of the iris when viewed from an angle, whether up or down, right or left. Such a showing of the white of the eye is not provided in conventional dolls eyes stationarily mounted in the head, and is only provided by special mechanism which rolls the eye bodily from right to left in the socket.

In accomplishing the objects of the present invention I have provided an eye which has a front portion of preferably parti-spherical shape, a truncated intermediate conical portion and a rear cylindrical portion, and the rear surfaces of the front portion, intermediate portion, and outside surfaces of the cylindrical portion are suitably tinted or otherwise colored to represent respectively, the eye ball, the iris and the pupil.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out. The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of-elements, and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims. In the accompanying drawing, in which are shown some of the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention:

Figure 1 is an axial section of an eye embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is an axial section of a modified form of the invention.

Figure 3 is an axial section of another modified form of the invention.

Figure 4 is an axial section of still another modified form of the invention.

The eye 70 of Figure 1 comprises the body portion 71 which is a hemispheroidal shell having a convex front surface 72 and a radially outermost concave rear surface 73, the rear surface 73 having a greater radius of curvature than the front surface 72. The surface 73 may be roughly finished so that when viewed from the front it presents a. pebbled or stippled appearance roughly similar to that of certain, animal eyes. Located with its axis on a radius s Fatent ice of the sphere, an intermediate truncated conical portion 74 representing the iris is integral with body portion 71 and has its base located substantially at the rear surface thereof. A substantially cylindrical portion 75 representing the pupil is preferably integral with the intermediate portion 74 and extends rearwardly therefrom and has its rear surface and most of its side surface covered by a black paint 76 or the like. The portions 71, 74, 75, are of transparent material. Light reflecting means in the form of a collar 77 is located at the junction of or situs of merger between intermediate portion 7 4 and the cylindrical portion 75, and integral with both. Collar 77 is also of transparent material, and when viewed from the front of eye 70, at an angle of inclination to the axis of the portions 74, 75, emits a glint or gleam as described and claimed in my above identified patent.

The chief advantage of the form of eye shown in Figure 1 is its close approximation in appearance to the human eye, particularly in respect to showing the white of the eye, or correspondingly located portion if the par ticular eye is not furnished with means representing the white of the eye, when the eye is viewed from an angle of inclination from directly forward. Whether the eye is viewed from right or left, or from a high or a low point of view, the white or corresponding portion on the far side of the iris from the viewer will still be shown until the angle of inclination becomes very great. This condition of visibility of the white also prevails when the human eye is so viewed, and is absent from conventional dolls eye unless said eyes are mounted so as to be capable of right to left motion in their sockets.

The eye 20, Figure 2, is identical with eye 7i), Figure 1, except that the rear surface 21 thereof is smooth and provided with conventional white paint 22 to represent the white of the human eye, and the intermediate truncated conical portion 23 is provided with blue, brown or other appropriate paint 24 to represent the iris of the human eye.

Eye 20 is a hemispheroidal transparent body of shell shape having a convex front surface 25 and being recessed to define the radially outer internal surface 21 extending forwardly and inwardly at a substantial acute angle to front surface 25 as viewed in the illustration. The truncated conical portion 23 and its outer surface 26 with its paint 24 are located inside the surrounding surface 21 and also inside the body 20. Also inside body 20 are the collar 27 of transparent material integral with body 20, and the rearwardly extending cylindrical portion 28 and paint 29, representing the pupil of the eye.

The functioning of eye 20 is similar in all respects to eye 70, with the exception that it represents a human eye whereas eye 70 represents an animal eye. The white paint 22 of eye 20 representing the white of the human eye assists in rendering visible the rear surface 21, and the colored paint 24 assists in rendering visible the rear surface 26 to which it is applied, and the difference in color of the two paints 22, 24 assists in defining and distinguishing to the observer the respective portions to which they are applied, however such use of colored paint is conventional and not considered part of the invention.

Eye 30, Figure 3, is identical with eye 20 but lacks the collar 27.

Eye 40, Figure 4, is identical with eye 20 but lacks the rear cylindrical portion of the other figures. A coat of paint or other dark colored material 41 is applied to the rear surface 42 of the truncated conical portion 43 to represent the pupil of the human eye. The visual effect of this eye when viewed from the front is identical to that of eye 30.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved,

and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use. As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In an artificial eye, a transparent hemispheroidal shell, said shell having a convex front surface, said shell further having a radially outermost interior rear surface having a radius of curvature greater than that of said front surface, said shell further having a radially intermediate truncated cone with its base integral with said shell, said cone extending rearwardly from its base, a centrally located cylinder extending rearwardly from said cone and being integral therewith, said cylinder and cone being located entirely within said shell, means simulating a pupil located on the surface of said cylinder and means simulating other parts of the eye and located on the surface of said cone and on said radially outermost surface.

2. In an artificial eye, a transparent hemispheroidal shell, said shell having a convex front surface, said shell further having a radially outermost interior rear surface having a radius of curvature greater than that of said front surface, said shell further having a radially intermediate truncated cone with its base integral with said shell, said cone extending rearwardly from its base and terminating within said shell, means simulating a pupil located in said shell and on the rear end of said cone and means simulating other parts of the eye and located on the side surface of said cone and on said radially outermost surface.

3. In an eye according to claim 2, said means on said surface simulating the iris and said means on said radially outermost surface simulating the white of the eye.

4. In an artificial eye, a transparent body formed with a hemispheroidal front surface, said body further being formed with a recess at the rear thereof, said recess being defined partially by the surface of a substantially centrally located coaxial truncated cone integral with said body and extending diminishingly rearwardly therefrom, said recess further being defined by a concave surface located radially outside of said cone and extending in a plane constituting a substantial acute angle with the plane of said front surface and said planes converging toward the rear of said body, said cone terminating within said recess and forwardly of portions of said convex front surface, means located rearwardly of said cone and connected thereto and simulating the pupil of the eye, said concave surface and the side surface of said cone further having means thereon simulating other portions of the eye.

5. In an eye according to claim 4, said means on said side surface simulating the iris and said means on said concave surface simulating the white of the eye.

6. An artificial eye part constituted of a unitary body of transparent material defined by a substantially hemipheroidal undecorated front surface and a recessed rear surface extending forwardly and radially inwardly from the outer periphery of said front surface and having a substantially circular inner periphery, said front surface diverging forwardly in axial direction from said rear surface as the two surfaces progress radially inwardly, said body further being defined by a third and rearwardly located surface located inside said rear surface; and said front surface continuing to diverge in axial distance from said third surface as said front surface continues to progress radially inwardly, said third surface having thereon means simulating eye parts and visible through said front surface, said body further being defined by a fourth and rearwardly located surface located radially inside said third surface and having means thereon simulating an eye pupil, portions of said third surface being located in the line of vision of a person viewing from a position far removed to one side of the axis of said front surface said eye simulating means of said second surface located on the opposite side of said third surface from the point of view and said viewed portions nevertheless being visible and appearing to be located in the portion of said body forwardly axially displaced from said viewed portions.

7. In an artificial eye part according to claim 6, said third surface being substantially a truncated cone having its base radially coincident with said inner periphery and extending diminishingly rearwardly therefrom.

8. In an artificial eye part according to claim 7, said first mentioned means on said rear surface simulating the white of the eye, and said means on said truncated conical surface simulating the iris.

9. In a shell representing an artificial eye, a transparent hemispheroidal body having a convex front surface, said body further having a radially outermost interior rear surface having a radius of curvature greater than that of said front surface, said body further having a radially intermediate transparent truncated cone with its base integral with said body, said cone extending rearwardly from its base, a centrally located transparent cylinder extending rearwardly from said cone and being inegral therewith, said cylinder and cone being located entirely within said shell, means simulating a pupil located on the surface of said cylinder and means simulating other parts of the eye and located on the surface of said cone and on said radially outermost surface.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,306,850 Karabin June 17, 1919 2,254,232 Marcus Sept. 2, 1941 2,425,510 Cohn Aug. 12, 1947 2,589,462 Wagner Mar. 18, 1952 2,601,107 Ellett June 17, 1952 2,685,760 Wagner Aug. 10, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 458,116 Great Britain Dec. 14, 1936 

